Editorial Coverage Sponsored By FINIS
Three days of competition have elapsed at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and talk of doping and lack of leadership by the IOC is on everyone’s tongues. It all came to a boil tonight.
USA’s Lilly King, at age 19, found her voice and spoke up in a tense pressroom interview while sitting next to Russia’s Yulia Efimova. An hour earlier, King beat Effimova to win gold in the 100 breaststroke. Yesterday, King let her displeasure be known with stern finger-wag directed at Efimova that quickly became the talk around social media.
Talking to the press after her gold medal performance, King was asked whether beating Efimova, who has been banned twice previously for drug usage, was a statement,
Definitely. I think, you know, it just proves that you can compete clean and still come out on top with all the hard work you put in behind the scenes.
When asked about how everyone reacted to her previous criticisms of Efimova, King replied that it’s been “a lot of support for the most part. I basically said what everybody’s thinking. They were glad I spoke out and I had the guts to say that and I appreciate their support.”
King was not the only gold medalist to take a stance on the surrounding doping issues. The GOAT himself, Michael Phelps, laid down some harsh criticism in a press conference following semi-finals of the 200 fly, noting “it breaks what sport is meant to be and that’s what pisses me off.”
Phelps continued on, stating,
It’s sad that today in sports in general, not just only swimming, there are people who are testing positive who are allowed back in the sport — and multiple times… I believe sport should be clean and sport should be on an even playing field, and I think that it’s sad that in sports toady we have people who are testing positive not only once but twice and still having the opportunity to swim at this Games.
Efimova’s admission into the Games has been met, continually, with “boo’s” and “jeers” as she walked onto the deck with many feeling that she and many of the Russian Federation shouldn’t have been allowed to swim.
While there are many who are currently doubting the powers of the sports after their admission of Efimova and others, many athletes are still choosing to believe that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and swimming’s governing body, FINA, have the sport’s best interests in mind.
Newly minted bronze medalist Katie Meili of the USA poignantly noted that “Swimming is so special that I hope the powers that be are working hard to keep the integrity of the sport. If that is what it is (Efimova competing), that’s what it is.”
With five days left in the swimming competition, the decision by the IOC to look away from the realities before them are expected to get worse.
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I don’t understand why the ones that are dopeing are allowed to swim? Should be zero tolerance! How would you feel if you were 4th place, and second place cheated? So, very wrong! Congratulations to Lilly King!
Not only 4 place is cheated out of a medal. 9th was cheated out of a place in the final. 17th place cheated out of a place in the semi final!…. all clean athletes and supporters cheated out of a clean sport!!!! Curtesy of The IOC and FINA!
and you know this for certain, how? how many years did it take for Lance Armstrong to take the fall for the many?
Ok. What do you think about Tyson Gay?)
The Olympic charter should have a statement to the effect that ” if you test positive you will not be welcome now or at any future Olympics”. Zero tollerance. Does that answer your question?
the operative word is “IF”? Did Phelps not say he doesn’t think he’s ever competed in a “clean” pool? I wonder what would’ve happened to the entire American contingent had there been more advanced labs around? And strange that only Russia was targeted. Somehow the GAMES are very lack-lustre this year, BUT for Michael Phelps who the whole world adores. He has a great personality and we, even here in South Africa, love him. Everybody here is talking above the clouds because no-one really knows. What happens when gene therapy gets totally underway. how would ANYBODY ever prove that? And who knows if it’s not being deployed already.
I agree with Chloe 7. Michael Phelps performance is just like Lance Armstrong and other athletes who cheated. There is no way he can swim like that and recover so fast without getting some help.
the one you said were found innocent in their appeallling that show how ignorant are some USA athlete that said what they said and how the media just look to selling papers and goes with the flow instead of looking for the true facts. If people do some research would this court of appealing wouldnt let go someone taht easy and you could ask Sharapoba who got bannet, appealed, it was rejected even though the board recognised it was UNINTENTIONAL but still the ban was kept. Therefore all people talking bad about Efinova should be ashame and all of them doesnt know what they are talking about…..
I want to express my disagreement to Lilly King,s behavior with swimmer Efimova. You probably think that’s cool do? I’m ashamed for you. What you did not just shows your lack of culture, lack of manners, but also a disgrace to the honor of all other American athletes. Yes, Efimov previously committed an offense, but like other athletes, including the US departed his sentence. Sports arbitrage recognized her right to speak at the Olympics. What are you so behave is unacceptable at the Olympic Games. I am ashamed of you, think again!
Unfortunately due to IOC inaction and FINA inaction and their preference to have drug cheats back in the pool rather than have a clean sport competitors and others have been forced to make their feelings felt. If it was not for the IOC and FINA’s lack of commitment to clean sport then none of this would have happened. You are condeming the victims rather than the culprits unfortunately.
Fail.
Peter Scott I think this kind of behavior, like Lilly King rude and inappropriate. Not only Efimova, but many other athletes from different countries, including the United States after being disqualified due to doping and sentence again allowed to sport. And solve it courts and sporting bodies. A publicly demonstrate a lack of respect for other athletes is low and ugly.
Absolutely. She is my least favorite personality on the US team. She earned her medal, but no point in being dramatic or speaking out. Let the IOC do what it does, investigate the facts and not speak goonish unsportsmanlike taunts when she doesn’t know the personal struggles her opponent has been through. I respect King for speaking her mind and being her own person, I just don’t like that person. She is entitled to her opinion and actions, and I am entitled to dislike her for being a dick.
I repeat that if there was a no tolerance rule with regards doping and that it was written in the Olympic charter then this would not have happened. I believe that all clean athletes would agree with me. Keep the dopers out of the Olympics. Whether they are Russian or American does not matter. IOC with their non stance against the doping, welcoming dopers back with open arms and not standing up and condeming state involved doping programs are thus encouraging doping thus sending the wrong message and now reaping the consequences of the disgust of the entire sports community.
Aleksandr Zaitcev do you really think the ones that doped were in your words”not low and ugly”? I think they are and should be put out. Emotions run high when someone is a known cheat and seemingly gets awaywith it. I will repeat this could all be averted if IOC stands up and supports clean athletes rather than supporting the dirty ones.
Peter, it’s a bit disingenuous of King to criticize IOS out of one corner of her mouth, and accept the medals it bestows out of the other. If she disagrees with the organization, she is welcome to avoid it altogether by staying out of the Olympics.
I do feel uncomfortable about this situation on the actions of both parties. I feel uncomfortable saying “King won anyway she shouldn’t be complaining” and I also feel uncomfortable saying “Efimova didn’t deserve any of this and should be booed in front of the entire world”. Efimova is not the best role model, true. King, however, wagged her finger at Efimova. I just can’t help but imagine being on the other end of all of this demeaning behavior and feeling that no matter what drug someone has done, they don’t deserve global humiliation. Who knows what pressures Efimova has in Russia to have taken the drugs. What struggles she may have gone through to get out of doing drugs. What long-term effects the drugs may have had on her. Imagine taking drugs, perhaps in order to get paid because you’re a professional swimmer and you get paid if you win. Imagine stopping drugs but still making the Olympics. You can’t undo drug usage, but you can put that behind you and try again. This is why comeback stories are rare. Because the world is against it. Then again, I am not against the valiant effort of the athletes to keep swimming a clean sport. If Lilly King and Michael Phelps can make it without taking performance-enhancing drugs, why can’t this Russian swimmer? That is the question, isn’t it? Why can’t she? Why was she cleared by FINA? Why don’t we condemn the federation that gave her the OK to swim in the Olympics rather than the athlete? If you had a chance to swim in the Olympics, you would, wouldn’t you?
There are different sides to the story. It’s time we started looking at them.
I agree with Ashley. Of course I don’t believe that anyone who uses performance enhancing drugs should compete at all, but in Efimova’s case it’s really not her fault. She probably had pressure from Russia to take these drugs. This goes with many more Russian swimmers. Instead of openly condemning this single swimmer, we should look into the country that produces these swimmers that gets caught with these things. Lilly King definitely has a point in her argument, but on the other hand I don’t think Efimova herself deserves such vilifying treatment(“boo”s in the audience, etc.). I believe that FINA should look more into Russian athletes as a whole and also crack down harder on this kind of thing.
Efimova’s prior issues with steroids may have been related to Russian state pressure. She served her penalty for that and has been training in the US for the past couple years, though. Her most recent failure to pass the drug test was due to taking US supplements from a GNC which contained a banned substance unknown to her. This was negligent on her part, but does appear to be her own fault. I’m sure more information will surface as the months go by. The shady happenings regarding the 2014 Russian secret service being used to bypass the “tamper proof” containers used by the IOC to replace test samples with urine collected months prior to the events suggest an unacceptable calculated strategy to sidestep the anti-doping measures.
even if one were to dope to develop power, strength or endurance, then cleanse their system, but maintain the gains they required doping to achieve, it stands that one could still retain an unfair advantage from the power and musculature gained through doping.
Ashley Huang you are right and wrong. You are right about Lily King not taking performance enhancing drugs but not Phelps. Phelps is definitely taking performance enhancing drugs. Remember what everyone thought about Lance Armstrong? He was such and upstanding citizen and had a great story only to be found to be doping the whole time.
Peter Scott Sorry, but the doping offense, but in sports as well as theft is not in the sport. If a person has committed a crime, such as theft, he served his sentence and was released in life, your whole life it should not be admitted to anything, should be deprived of a normal life? I repeat, the right Efimova participation in the Olympic Games was decided by the court and he made it to participate in the Olympic Games. I wrote here that I do not approve of such behavior as that of Lilly King, I think it is bad manners. I for example do not remember and I do not know of examples when Russian athletes have behaved the same way in relation to the US, for example, in relation to Justin Gatlin.
I agree with Aleksandr 100%. Lilly King’s behavior was arrogant, and juvenile. It was embarrassing to me as an American. If I were Yulia Efimova, I would tell Miss King to find a better use for her finger.
Efimova, who is a woman by the way, started the finger wagging. Waving her finger in the air when she finished 1st in her semi. Lily King just finished it. And since King has said publicly that she didn’t think proven cheats belonged on the team I’m sure she’d have no issue with other athletes reacting against Tyson Gay or Justin Gatlin. But wait, there are no Russians in the track and field events are there? They’ve all been banned for doping. Of course there will still be time for the IOC to back down on that. Also, remember Lily King is just 19 years old.
Phelps stole one gold medal unintentional ( he didnt won shown by camera and even Omega corfirm he didnt won_) it was a fail but he never get back that medal to the true winner so what would you do about that? isnt his fault but he saw the video, find out the truth and kept the medal…I guess some people do everything to brake records 😛 that is why I kind of sure Phelop isnt a saint and he does use enhacement substance not know but since he was a young boy to win, He needs to win even if it is not for him to win. USA has the Armstrong case and still completly blind of what is going on here? pretty sad for the sport and the sadness part it is happen all around workd in every sport but people need heroes even if they are false heroes 🙂
Lilly King wagged her finger in response to Efimova putting up her finger in a gesture of the number 1 sign in the first heat. It was like she was bragging that she was there despite the drug fail twice. To scold King without a word of the taunting of Efimova shows your bias and diminishes your point. She had every right to say with the simple wag of her finger (in response I might add again) to Efimova or any who try to cheat their way into the win lane. Nope, she was not rude. She was simply saying “hey, just work hard, don’t cheat.” And the whole world was booing the drug fail girl. Not just King. Oh and by the way, she showed that winning with integrity is the way to win – don’t do drugs. That is the disgraceful behavior on the “world stage.”
Lily King’s stance towards Efimova is fully justified as Efimova deserves no respect. She’s compromised the integrity of the sport through doping violations but also through her presence at this Olympic Games. She has stained the sport and the prestige of the Games by appealing her ban, knowing full well she has been caught cheating twice! if you want respect, behave in a way that warrants it. simple.
Lily King’s behavior was un-sportsman like and rude, but again she is 19 and only a teenager and she has a thing or two to learn. I am surprised at comments here that justify her behavior as Efimova deserved it! How a person acts and treats other shows their character and not what other people deserve or not. Also her hand-wigging is justified because Efimova was boasting and she deserved to be made fun of? People show joy different way, what is wrong with that? Michael Phelps and Usain Bolts are big show off then too.
No matter anyone’s opinion on what should be is beside the point, sportsmanship should be at the heart of all contenders.
Ashley Huang they do deserve global humiliation and they deserve to not be there!
Oh BS. Efimova has a record of doping that got her suspended previously AND she failed a drug test for a banned substance this year alone. She was a named athlete in the WADA report. So, sorry, It’s a load of crap that she is allowed in the pool and then waves her finger first at everyone like she is the best.
The clean athletes have every right, as do the fans, to lambast her. The only one in that pool showing “a disgrace to the honor” of not just American athletes but all athletes is not Lilly King for calling out a cheater, but rather Efimova for doping.
Aleksandr Zaitcev yes they serve their sentence for theft if you wish to use that analogy. However, if they stole from you do you then welcome back to into your house with open arms even if they again steal from you? This is what FINA and the IOC are doing welcoming back the thief. Yes, let them get on with their life but not where they are no longer wanted. Of course in this politically correct day and age there will surely be a lot of lawyers saying the thief should be allowed back in your house after serving a sentence!! 🙂
Aleksandr Zaitcev do you approve of Efimova’s behaviour? A simple yes or no will sufice 🙂
Firstly, I am categorically against the use of doping and does not endorse this Efimova or other athletes. But we do not know the whole story about her doping. The story is considered a sports court and admitted her involvement. You write that twice Efimova gets on doping. I do not know this story. According to information from the Internet Yefimova once caught for doping in May 2014 she was disqualified for a year and four months left for the punishment and the sports arbitration made its participation in the games. Secondly, in this post I wrote not only that someone raised or not raised a finger, and that Lily King and her collegue demonstratively didnt congratulated Yefimova with a medal. I think it’s bad manners and rude manners. Especially Lily King does not know the whole story about Yefimova, and had heard only TV propaganda. I have read that the American athlete Gatlin twice caught for doping and was admitted to these games. And I have not heard or seen the hysterical reaction of the Russian athletes or fans to it. Athletes must be respectful to each other. And what I read in these comments suggests intolerance of people to each other.
It is not rude to ignore a cheater. Cheating is cheating and Russia has shown they have no morals about doing it. She should have been banned from the olympics period.
After Lily King celebrated with her teammate she went over and patted Yefimova on the back as they were walking off the pool deck.
I’m sure they are keeping a tight lid on the second offense in your homeland so you may not have heard of it but it’s there. Also, your country has no athletes in track & field so it will be difficult for them to react to Gatlin. Those events haven’t been held yet though so it is hard to tell how the fans will react. If they boo him they deserve it. Seems to me your just upset that Russia somehow managed to force one of their cheaters back in and she didn’t perform they way she was supposed to.
“Basically, what happened this morning was that I finished and then I waved my finger a little bit, because that’s kind of how I am. Then tonight just now Yulia got done with her swim and I am watching in the ready room – and there she is there shaking her finger. So then I got done and I beat her time so I waved my finger again. People probably think I am serving it up a little bit but that is just how I am,” – Lilly King
I think that the finger wagging is disrespectful and poor sportsmanship in both directions. I think it shows that Lilly is immature and although a world class racer in terms of speed, not classy in the least.
It is all to do wirh greed
money talks
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/olympics2016/2016/08/08/lilly-king-finger-wag/oR38BzKFJHhddDU3dWK7yI/story.html “Olympics organizers are urging competitors to cut the trash talk. International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams says ‘‘people should be free to compete in tranquility and not be addressed by others. We would encourage people to respect their fellow competitors.’’
Efimova was giving her own nasty looks before the final and I think earned the smack talk. She shouldn’t have been allowed in rio. PERIOD.
Aleksandr Zaitcev do you know Lilly King? Do you KNOW where she got the information? She might know more than you give her credit for. You can defend Russia all you want. Cheating isn’t tolerated.
Efimova STARTED the finger wagging. Lilly King ended it and called a cheater out. She has been banned once and she failed a drug test this year. That is documented fact. She shouldn’t be congratulated by clean athletes. Efimova brought it on herself by choosing to dope.
Dylan Gray Where are your documented facts?
I’m thinking that Aleksandr Zaitcev would have a much different opinion if he was swimming next to someone that had a history of doping. Respect and tolerance is reserved for true athletes– not for cheaters– at ANY time in their careers– and the empathy you say we much show for her “situation” is no excuse. Life is about choices– and this Russian swimmer made the wrong one, time and time again.
Jessica Sherwood Justice Yes, its normal that I try to defend Russian athletes because I am from Russia. And you defend only your sportsmen and see problems only with sportsmen from other countries. I am against doping strongly. I wrote this post about behavior of Lilly King and I think her behavior is unacceptable! I have a right to estimate your behavior this way! I respect your opinions but I have my own opinion too!
Nobody is saying that American athletes who dope should be excused, only you are.
Aleksandr Zaitcev I completely agree with you. Both Tyson Gay & Justin Gatlin both failded drug test but they are in RIO we haven’t seen any american complain about that.
Im embarrassed for your grasp of the English language. Dude, spell check and grammar check next time, you sound like an idiot.
SuperMan, you clearly should read more. Lilly King did call out Justin Gatlin as well, so you do not know what you are speaking of. Try reading some. The Struggle is real.
It’s his second language. Do you speak a second language? Considering this, he gets his point over perfectly well. This a discussion regarding Olympic athletes, not a grammar and spelling test.
Idiot!!!
Put it in the Olympic charter that” if you ever test positive you will not be welcome at any Olympic Games now or in the future”. If IOC were really committed against drugs then this is a no brainer….thus either they are happy to have drug cheats compete…..or at IOC they have no brains! Maybe both of the above?
Well done to the american girls! The day spoilt by the second place finisher not only 4 place is cheated out of a medal. 9th was cheated out of a place in the final. 17th place cheated out of a place in the semi final!…. all clean athletes and supporters cheated out of a clean sport!!!! Curtesy of The IOC and FINA!
The crowd spoiled the day by booing Yefimova. Get a brain. You swimmers seem to be so brainless.
She has the right to defend her sport. And she was able to back up her comments with a gold medal! Way to go Lilly King!
And she backed it up with a win. No need to be cocky or arrogant.
She wasn’t being cocky though.
She wagged her finger because Efimov lifted her finger in reference to herself being number 1! King wagged her finger in reference to her (Efimov) no shame in drug use! And backed up her reprimand with a win and thus the gold.
Good speak out and take a stand! IOC and FINA need to have zero tolerance the world and children everywhere are watching!!
yes especially when everywhere children are watching !
ugh. now that is a silly remark. we are electing a man who is a bully – and children are watching. some of the swimmers were cleared of doping charges because of a vague notion of what doping means. For some, taking herbal enhancement which was then banned, and then they were tested days later after the ban, seems wrong. Also, you don’t need the kind of retort that Lilly King a white priviledged jock girl committed when she splashed her opponent in the fact with water from the pool. That’s just mean girl bull. sorry but that is not cool sportsmanship.
The amount of clean athletes in the Olympics could probably be counted on two hands. Just because someone hasn’t tested positive doesn’t mean they’re “clean”. Don’t forget how Lance Armstrong was the poster boy for “clean” and belittled people who tested positive for over a decade.
Rick, you obviously have all the evidence to prove all your accusations……thus we are all waiting to have this evidence presented to us. We are all for clean sport and need to see it now. However, you must be really clever to have all the evidence of all the athletes in all sports. The problem here is that the ones that ARE caught are not being penalised fairly or evenhanded. Thank you.
My opinion of high level athletes doesn’t require me to lead an investigation Peter Scott. You sound like you have a guilty conscience to me.
Spoken by someone who probably competes in no sports whatsoever ?.
You got that right. What a joke he turned out to be.
Thank you! You are correct in your assessment!
The more I learn about these governing bodies, the less confidence I have in their abilities to represent the athletes in the best way possible.
I don’t think they even REALISE that is what they are supposed to be doing….”representing athletes in the best way possible.”
There is a shake up needed all round, in FINA, IOC and WADA. Not only in the treatment, banning etc of athletes caught doping but also in what I call the standard of legal doping. An example of this can be found in the disparity in different countries of the world for the diagnosis of ADD. In some countries it is quite easy to be diagnosed with this and one of the drugs used to treat it is a stimulant. So there is a broad change needed in a number of things not just in what we see and currently the powers that be are not leveling the playing field, they are making the gap wider between the countries with money and those without!
In the past a swimmer who was caught doping would not be allowed to compete. Why the change, has the governing body like everyone else become to soft? The athletes who voice their opinion are allowed to do so. Hats off to you ( Lilly and Michael ) for standing up for what you believe in.
Looks like someone was bought off to allow the Russians to partake, for shame but typical, the natural swimmers are the heroes,
Name and shame the cheaters. I love how athletes are finally speaking up. Doping has no place in sports.
Jessica you are right. Doping has no place in sports. Please stand by your convictions when Michael Phelps is found to be doping. Thank you!
Well done Lilly King!!!
That whole race and exchange between the two was awesome.
Why is this still going on 40 years later? And here Shirley got the bad rap for speaking out. And here it still goes…………..
Makaila Gordon there’s more for you
I’m glad they’re speaking out!
Why they are not speaking out about Tyson Gay & Justin Gatlin about drug test fail.
Because they are swimmers and they are talking about their sport. Let the rest of the track team condemn Gay and Gatlin. However, Kings’ comments from last night clearly indicate she isn’t happy about them either.
She actually did if you read the full interview. The journalist asked her about Gatlin, and yes, she answered bluntly he shouldn’t have been in the team.
There should be a ban on any athlete who has tested positive for doping in the present and past. But this should apply to all the countries participating in the Olympic events-not just a few that are singled out. If that is going to be the rule it needs to be the rule for everyone.
True. But as quite a few were coached in the USA why did their coaches not speak out? Everyone must stand up. It is not just the problem of one country.
Congrats to Lilly and Michael
I wonder how Michael is going to react when he’s found out like brother Lance!
Doubt if pot would make him swim fast……
hey, the turtle won the race!
Yeah! Like Phelps is the poster child for clean living. The guy has had so many problems. The thing is comical.
There’s a big difference between drinking alcohol or smoking pot and taking performance enhancing drugs. This isn’t about “clean living”, it’s about cheating.
Michael Phelps has totally turned his life around. Give him credit where credit is due. He is a super nice guy and the most amazing male athlete we will likely see in our lifetime…
Phelps has never been known for being nice, he has been known for being a cocky jerk, by all of this training partners. He is extremely talented and truly earned his medals, but that doesn’t make him humble or nice. Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story, though. I commend Phelps for his success and his struggles.
Smoking pot and drinking don’t improve your performance. Imagine how much more amazing he would have been without those little slip ups .
Yes both of his drugs actually have the opposite effect on performance. Doesn’t mean they are okay, but it is not the same advantage as those that are caught with performance enhancing drugs
Ummmmmm alcohol and pot do the exact opposite of performance enhancing drugs. Also, performance enhancing drugs can change your bio chemistry in your body giving you advantages even years after you have stopped…… want to explain to me how he still wins? I’ll wait.
Also, he changed his life around after accepting Jesus into his life. He is now living a clean life and is a A great father and husband.
He may be a great father but he is NOT a husband yet.
A actually Phelps can talk cause he may have had problems with drinking and smoking pot but so what the drugs he used(pot) aren’t illegally enhancing his performance so sorry to say but your point is invalid lolol
About doping,That is something you dont know and a good examples in the sports is Armstrong. WHat you do outside the sport more probably you will be doing in the sport…
Mary get a life drinking and shooting up steroids are two different things.
Phelps has had problems, as most human beings do? That’s not the thing that’s being questioned! He hasn’t been using anything that would benifits him in any way while swimming! What an ignorant remark! It’s ising something to help get an edge over another competitor! Such as Roids, hgh and the likes!
yes he does use. The problem is so delicate to accuse an athlete with such power that no one dare. He is just like another Amstrong until one sponsor gets angrey starts a trial against him. Plus have you heard the concept of legal doping? half of the USA teams use legal doping and people started to question every year why WADA and COI get the new list of new illegal substance and most of the substances use by NBA players, and USA teams never appear on the new list being similar to other substance banned by WADA and COI. DO they have an especial treatment?? No one could run all the competition Phelps doing and recover that fast. There is NOT a real superhuman just substances and supplements that makes your body better in an unatural way therefore unfair to the other that goes by the rules (which inded everytime are fewer and fewer). Moreoever, Phelps should give back that medal he didnt won in Biejing where even Omega explained he didnt got first but touch the touch path harder that the competitor that got first at the wall but I guess he needed that record. ANd it is getting even worse when he started to talk about how he is against doping while he takes picture with gaitlin who was banned by doping some years ago plus he could be using enhacement substance himself (doping) same as amstrong did.
James everyone felt the same way about Lance Armstrong and Marion Jones as well and it was later found out that they had been doping for years. In baseball Barry Bonds and Mark McQuire were doping and it came out later. Let’s stop with the worship of Michael Phelps he is definitely being “helped” to accomplish the feat he is accomplishing.
Absolutely! Phelps is America’s poster boy now but just like Lance Armstrong and Marion Jones who later admitted to using drugs. Phelps is recovering way too fast and is blowing people out of the water at 31. He’s definitely using something!
Agreed what does Phelps mean by doping? Some would call a pothead a doper. It is all perspective. He is a shame and very arrogant. Can’t/won’t watch him.
It’s a little bit late for the East Germans, Chinese, and Russians…
It really is a shame! The IOC is just paid off. The IOC is so corrupt!
Congrats to Lilly!! IN YER FACE RUSSIAN CHEATS!!
I loved this…. And
They are awesome!
Woo hoo
Crazy fast y’all. Bravo!!
Love that Lilly King!
Michael Taborsky
Und in 10 Jahren kommts bei denen genau so raus wie bei den Russen.
Michael Taborsky da gehts jetzt net um politik!
es geht darum dass es ein witz is dass jemand der zweimal positiv getestet wurde antreten darf.
So … the IOC bans the Russian Paralympic Team but not their Olympic Team? Quit watching the Olympics.
Speak your mind it’s not fair for the other competitors I agree 100% with phelps and king you don’t need drugs in sport whoever uses them should be banned no questions asked . It pisses me off too
I love her ! She was so funny ! She didn’t let the Russian woman to beat her! What a spirit! 🙂
“little disappointed” that how many people in US beliave in what they want, but not in that really is…
At least the IPC had the cajones to ban Russia from the Paralympic Games! FINA and the IPC pussed out! (Or bribes were made!)
Agreed. I was disappointed in the IOC’s decision, or non-decision as it really should be called. The IPC really had an easier decision since their audience is far more limited and there’s far less money involved. That shouldn’t be true, the IOC should be just as arbitrary upholding rules, but they aren’t.
IOC hasn’t revealed why Efimova was allowed to compete, but King accepted their decision and said so. It’s amazing all the superior knowledge possessed by the bickerers working this issue. Really silly, finger pointing is an international incident? Sure. Tough up, already!
JMO, but after looking deeply into the Sharapova (who unquestionably violated personal responsibility rules) suspension, reading all the IOC and WADA rules on doping and “explanations” given by those bodies for how they rule, I’m not sure they really have air tight reasoning for all their decisions. Some drugs are blatantly obvious performance enhancers, others not as clear. Subjective reasoning can drive a weak decision over data when it comes to determining the degree of performance enhancement a substance may have and that’s the antithesis of science. Some clear enhancers are allowed restricted, but in the process of being banned; others are allowed restricted if there’s a legitimate medical need. A huge can of worms I hoped is worked out eventually.
In no way am I saying drugging is acceptable, but IOC will remain very susceptible to political pressure and continue to waffle until they develop black and white methods for placing sanctions on athletes.
Something is wrong here, my comments above came through as being from Spel. My name is Steve!
You many have them if you want, Spel. 🙂
FINA and the IOC pussed out. Frickin’ auto correct!
All I can say is, hopefully none of those with all the righteous indignation towards the ‘cheats’ will never use, or ever be caught – even months or years down the road, because if they do, it isn’t just their sports credibility which will be lost forever…
I see widom in you words. However USA Athletes has lost their credibility long time ago. I never care about swimming competitons and I always was outspoken about enhacement substance in my area, basketball and soccer, plus I need to teach my boy to never yieldd to temptation, he does play both sports very well. However, when I heard all these talking, booooing, some other shameful behavior from some USA athletes, citizens, and media I was shocked and felt real bad for them so I start to dig on Phelps, and only digging superfical part of Phelps history such as:
– the 2008 gold medal he should had given back out of a goodwill in the spirit of the olympic games to the real winner since the camera did show he didnt touch the wall first and Omega confirmed that later making the excuse that he touched the touchpad harder so he stopped the clock first than the real winner.
– The doping acussations by chinise ex-coach who people said this couch didnt have the credibility because he was caught in a doping scandal with his team (well this is the opposite because in a court trial I would not get a saint to the stand but someone that knows how to work the crime so this chinisse ex-couch would be a pretty good witness if someone doping issue were on trial)
– The obsession to make public to everyone his records to the social media. People said he did that to show his accomplishment didnt came out of nowhere. In psicologist, that is false, since this behaviour show an egocentristic personality who need to be known all around and does everything to get the attention.
– He was caught smoking marijuana so he does like to bend the rules, maybe for fun, for the rush, but mostly because he like to feel pretty good not matter at what cost.
– Drunk and driving , not once, but twice
– His stamina, not normal, similar to Amstrong
– His righteous behaviour which ussually this king of people tend to believe they are above everyone.
And so many more things; everything is in there and this is just looking to the surface. Imagine what could you find looking inside?
pretty sad indeed….
You hit the nail on the head! Of course it will take years for all of the truth about Phelps to come out!
I have a couple swimming buddies and they’re all amazed as much as i am…How does an older swimmer’s body recover so fast and even gets stronger as time progresses….so much as to actually break a record. I’m puzzled and you know what? The other swimmers at the games wonder the same but no one has the balls to speak up…Oh well im just someone with common sense that can type.
I admired Lilly King for her speed in the pool, but not for her intelligence and sensitivity in addressing Efimova. King was clearly in the dark about the details of both Efimova’s positive tests, and so are most of the commenters here. We didn’t demonize Jessica Hardy, did we? It was the same thing. Read more, people – read more!
Speaking of irresponsible statements, it was cowardly to turn off comments on the “Judge Dismisses Hosszu Lawsuit Against Swimming World And Casey Barrett” article.
Lily must have seen all the model pics of Yulia trending all over the Internet and became jealous.
Lily is sure one ugly woman! Yulia wins the gold in my book!
The American swimmer should have her gold taken for horrendous Sportsmanship.